This page is from 1995 - left
essentially unchanged and still largely accurate, as well as a
testament to the determination to restore and fly this airplane one
last time. Many times, it seemed a dream that was not to be, but
persistance is a virtue.ADOPT A 727 - THE
BOEING 727 PROTOTYPE

"E1" - N7001U - The
First727

The
Museum of Flight in
Seattle has a small, but dedicated band of volunteers working on a
727-100 owned
by the Museum. This particular airplane, N7001U, was the first 727
built,
and after flight testing, spent its entire life in-service with United
Airlines, until donated to the Museum. The Crew Chief for this airplane
is Bob Bogash, retired after 30 years with Boeing, the last
ten of which were
as Director of Quality Assurance in the Materiel Division of
Boeing Commercial Airplane
Group. Bob was instrumental in obtaining this historic aircraft
from United originally, and with his new found "free time" has stepped
up his level of involvement with the Museum and the care of this
airplane.

The Airplane

N7001U
(" E1 " in Boeing parlance) was unique among Boeing
commercial jets
(until the 777) in that no dedicated prototype aircraft was built. The
first
airplane was not kept as a flight test airplane, but actually was
delivered to the kickoff customer, and went into regular service. It
became Number
One out of 1832 airplanes built at Boeing's Renton plant, in what for a
long
time was the most successful commercial airplane program ever. No one
ever
thought the 727 record would ever be broken, but the 737 has now more
than
doubled it, and is on its way to tripling it!

History

In
1984, as Chairman of the Aircraft Acquisition committee for the
Museum, Bob approached then United top managers Ed Carlson and Dick
Ferris, asking for the airplane upon retirement. United agreed. The
airplane participated in an official Museum ceremony in advance of the
actual donation on Jan 23,
1988. On Jan. 13, 1991, the airplane, having been repainted in its
original United colors, flew revenue trip 838 SFO - SEA, then ferried
to Boeing Field for an acceptance ceremony at the Museum, followed by
its last flight, a
ferry to Paine Field in Everett where the Museum has a restoration
facility.
The airplane had its original rollout ceremony with all the appropriate
fanfare on November 27, 1962. It made its first flight from Renton on
February 9,1963, followed by the first landing of a 727, interestingly
enough, also at Paine Field. The airplane was delivered to United on
Oct. 6, 1964. During its
career it accumulated 64,495 hours, made 48,060 landings, and flew an
estimated
three million passengers. United paid $4.4 million for the airplane,
which
in turn generated revenues of more than $300 million during its service
life.

January
1991 - Leaving the paint hangar in San Francisco in its original livery.

Restoration, Preservation, ....and Flight!

Regrettably,
after donation to the Museum, United cannibalized many
of the major parts on the airplane for use as spares for the remaining
fleet. This has meant a significant challenge to restore the
airplane to an airworthy condition.

The United crew that came to Paine
Field to remove several hundred parts

UPDATE:
On
March 6, 2004, Federal Express donated a 727-100
airplane to the Museum to be used as a source of parts to support our
restoration. After 18 months of removing parts, this airplane is
currently being dismantled ( October 2005.) Volunteers are now needed
more than ever to utilize
our new resource. This airplane has now been dismantled.
Portions survive. See the
story and complete pictures here.

UPDATE
No. 2: In September 2005, Clay Lacey donated a 727-200 to the
Museum. Parts of this airplane are coming to restore N7001U, as
well as going to the new Future of Flight Museum.This airplane has likewise been
dismantled, with portions surviving.Story
and Photos here.

Preservation
of this historic airplane has entailed four phases.

Phase I
involved prevention of any deterioration of the aircraft. To accomplish
this task, heated, dehumidified air is supplied to the cabin during the
wet Northwest winter months. Periodic washing and polishing has
also be accomplished.

Phase Two
involves restoring
certain missing
hardware to allow proper presentation of the airplane. Most notably
missing were the aircraft's three JT8D engines and flap drive
system. Flap components are now on hand. This phase is very
active at this time.

Phase Three
has
involved restoring certain systems such as hydraulics and air
conditioning that can be run as an aid in preserving the airplane. For
example, electrical power has been restored and can be applied to the
airplane, and equipment
cooling and interior/exterior lighting is all functional.

Phase
Four involves preparing the airplane for a one-time ferry flight
to the
Museum at Boeing Field. While accomplishing Phase Four is uncertain,a
Master Schedule had been established setting flight day for
Labor
Day 1999. This date has long passed due to the unavailability of
necessary
parts, however flight is still the team's goal. The restoration and
maintenance crew
participate
in all the above activities. After an initial burst of activity, the
crew settled down to a regular monthly meeting schedule. With the
acquisition of the 727 donor airplane from Federal Express, we are
currently working Tues - Weds - Thurs at the Paine Field
facility to
perform
the required restoration
tasks on the airplane. Come on by! We
are
looking for people with a real interest and love of the 727.
Enthusiasm
is
a requirement. Having fun is part of the plan. Anyone can apply -
engineers,
pilots, mechanics, flight attendants... you name it. The current crew
includes
not only retired or current United or Boeing employees, but also Boy
Scouts,
and other aviation people. One of our team members is Lew Wallick, the
Boeing
test pilot who made the first flight in this airplane!

Beginning
in June 2004, restoration of this airplane moved into full
swing. Many parts, including the leading edge Kreuger flaps, main
landing gear strut
doors, and trailing edge flaps are in the process of being transferred
from
the FedEx and Orca Bay airplanes to E1. People are normally
working on the airplane Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays, and volunteers are invited to swing by.